Two Faced
by MadamDoll
Summary: Shenmue: Ryo x Ren slash fic. Sorry not sorry. Starts the night before Ryo heads out for Bailu Village. Awkward fluff/kissing. That's about it. Hyped for Shenmue III.


It was just for the money.

That was what Ren told himself.

The more he said it, the thinner the lie became, and he came increasingly close to terms with the fact it was, in fact, a lie. Yeah, he could tell women fawned over Ryo. Often, it seemed. Even Joy, his own… Well, he wasn't exactly sure what they were. Friends with benefits, he guessed. Either way, Ryo barely had any reaction.

The more Ren showed up unannounced, the more he tried to convince himself out loud, the more looks of doubt he received. He had gotten soft. He had to show he was still in charge. Constantly.

"Damn…" He grumbled, carving mindless doodles into the table with his knife, "Idiot…" For once he was talking about himself.

Ryo would be gone the next day. What was he going to do about it? He had obligations and people to take care of. He had a gang to run. He had spent enough time off with Ryo as it was, using the money excuse. Yeah, it did turn out his instinct was right. Treasures of the Qing Dynasty. Damn. He had fallen right into money's lap– and right into the tunnels of his personal Hell simultaneously.

He pushed himself up from his seat at the table, beginning to pace about his small hideout. He looked to the small brown couch, remembering how Ryo would sometimes mumble in his sleep. Nozomi this. Father that. Lan Di blah blah blah. But when about him, huh? He kept an ear out for his name, but he only mentioned him once, then something about a broken lamp. Not what he was hoping for.

"Stupid…" Ren groaned, slamming his gloved fist against a cracked wall. He turned to the sound of the door being opened, faced with the problem directly.

"Ren?" Ryo's voice was typically monotone, yet softer than usual.

"What?" He had to be assertive. His heart fluttered. Every time he said his damn name. He needed to prove this boy had no effect on him. He folded his arms over his chest and leaned against the wall.

"Are you alright?"

Was he alright? -Was he alright?- In the list of many things he was in that moment, alright was not among them.

"What a dumb question."

"I was just checking." Ryo averted his gaze, heading towards the couch to sit, across the room from Ren, whose eyes followed his every move.

"Whatever." Ren turned his head, long black hair caught on his jacket for a short moment.

Ryo resumed ignoring him, taking out his journal from his bag, glazing over it like he was studying for a test. Ren rolled his eyes. Ryo was basically a school boy– past the boy with the cool demeanor, man thirsty for revenge, martial artist, and the gacha figurine collecting dork.

Ren's nostril's flared as he grimaced slightly, reaching up to undo his hair from his usual pony tail. It was late, he needed sleep.

He shook his head, letting the long black locks fall past his shoulders to his chest.

"…Ren?"

He looked up as he began to remove his gloves, "huh?"

Ryo happened to be caught in his gaze, but forced his eyes the other way, "…Nothing."

"You're so weird." Ren clicked his tongue, smirking as he teased the younger man, who, as usual, barely responded.

"I just haven't seen you with your hair down."

"Eh?" His brows furrowed, looking to Ryo again, whose eyes locked with his.

"You should keep it down more often."

"It gets in the way."

"Why not cut it, then?"

"Shut up. I like it long."

"You're so strange."

He was strange? HE was strange? Ren tripped over his own tongue for a moment, lost on how to respond, he threw his gloves on the table, "Sh-shut up."

And for once, he swore Ryo smiled at him.

"Stop that."

"Hm?"

"Stop smiling. You don't smile."

"Since when?"

"Man, I don't know." Ren sighed, "You're usually just so… Melancholy."

"Melancholy?"

"Yeah. Are you depressed or somethin'? Or just too determined?"

Ryo looked away suddenly, he seemed to zone out, staring at nothing.

"Ryo?" Ren rose his brows, reviewing no response. He groaned quietly and walked forward, sitting next to him on the couch, which seemed to surprise him.

"Ren."

"Yeah?"

"…" Ryo turned to look away once again, moving forward and away from Ren's arms as they naturally spanned out across the top of the couch.

"…C'mon." Ren smirked, moving to lean forward, placing a hand on Ryo's shoulder, "Talk."

"Huh?"

"Talk. You know. Words. Sentences. String words together to express something?"

"Ren…" Ryo seemed to be irritated.

Ren grinned, throwing a soft playful punch at the boy's arm, he couldn't bare to think of actually hurting him with how far they had come, "It's a joke, kid."

"You keep calling me kid. Yet, you're only a year older than me."

"Yeah, and?"

"You always need to be in control, don't you?"

"Can't control you, Ryo." He sighed and reclined back against the couch again, "That's what I love about ya."

"Love… About me?"

Ren screamed internally, slowly looking to see Ryo staring at him with a bemused expression.

"Uh. Yeah." Ren cleared his throat, trying to fight the blush that spread across his cheeks only caused him to become more flustered, "Am I not allowed I admire things about people?"

"You said love, not admire." Ryo turned his body to face him better, "So, we -are- friends then?"

"Right…" Ren focused on something else, "Friends. I guess. Whatever."

Ryo seemed to notice his hesitation, "…Ren."

"Do you have some weird fascination with saying my name? Geeze…"Ren grumbled, moving to stand, only for his wrist to be caught firmly by the younger man, "…The hell?"

Ryo stood, meeting him eye to eye, "You didn't mean it in a friendly manner, did you?"

"Of course I did." Ren scoffed, irritated with his own reactions, "Man, what else could I mean?"

"I don't know." Ryo tilted his head slightly, "That's why I'm asking."

"Don't you think you've had enough control over my wrist, boy?" He gritted his teeth, recalling the incident with the handcuffs. He had saved them for no good reason, yet they came in handy confronting Yuan. He didn't get to use them the way he hoped.

"Hmm…" Ryo lifted Ren's wrist, pulling him closer, studying the look in his eyes, but only forcing his face to grow red once again.

"The hell you doin?"

"You're hiding something."

"Since when am I not hiding something?" He gave a bitter smirk.

"You have a point." He dropped his wrist, "I don't know how you always get things to go your way."

"Ha." That was an absurd reduction, "If things were to go -my- way you would be staying here."

Why did he say that…?

"What?"

"Shit." Ren turned from him abruptly, kicking a chair shortly after the silence began. Ryo watched him as he rested his head against the wall.

"Ren. I have to go to Bailu Village."

"Yeah yeah, I know. Damn…" Ren pushed off with energy, turning to face him again, clearly frustrated, and flustered, "How do ya do it, huh?"

"Do what?"

"You're so damn determined to get revenge on Lan Di– you don't even care about the effects it has on the people that dare give a damn about you." He growled, "Joy's constantly worried sick, and I don't know how, but you're like an older brother to Wong."

Ryo stared at the ground, "Ren…"

"You may not think it has an effect on me. Of all people. But it does damn it!" Ren rushed forward, slamming his hands on the table, across from Ryo, "and what about that Nozomi chick– or that Lishao Tao or what ever her name was…"

"I didn't ask to be cared about. I didn't ask you to get involved…" Ryo stopped him in his tracks, suddenly even more serious, "I'm thankful, Ren. I am. I don't know where I would be without everyone's help. But I didn't ask for it."

Ren groaned loudly, beginning to shout, pulling off and throwing his bandana at him, "You can't expect to be so damn passionate about something, and not expect people to fall for you!"

"Fall for me…?"

"Damn it!" Ren darted from his side of the table and around to the other, gripping Ryo's jacket collar and pulling him forward, their faces close as they could feel one another's breath, "I'm gettin' tired of you playing dumb!"

Ren found his wrists being grabbed again, but rather than being pushed like he expected, Ryo's hands simply wrapped around them.

"Go with me to Guilin."

"What?" Ren barely whispered, astounded.

"Come with me."

"Ryo." He shook his head, "I've got obligations here and in Wan Chai."

"Yet you've spent the last few weeks with me."

"I smelled money. I was right. I no longer need to trail you around. We've got Zhu, and you can find the mirror and get to Lan Di– not exactly in that order–"

"Ren."

"Augh." Ren leaned forward, his head falling against Ryo's shoulder, "Stop sayin' my name like that. Geeze."

"Ren…"

"I said stop." His head shot up, "I'm warning you, kid."

Ryo cracked a smirk, "…Ren."

Ren seethed, pulling at Ryo's jacket again, this time placing his lips upon his. Ryo's hands found his waist, pulling him even closer, clumsy arms finding their way around Ryo's neck, shaky hands in his spiked hair.

Without warning, Ryo wrapped his arms around Ren, lifting him up, only to sit him down on the table, knocking the recorder to floor with a plastic crackle.

Ren parted from him, catching his breath, "You're gonna buy me a new one of those right?"

Ryo smiled, placing his forehead to Ren's, "Yeah."

It took mere seconds before they were once again entangled in a deep kiss, refusing to think about anything else. Ren felt his back pressed against the table, Ryo just above him, his hands gripping at his long black hair. Ren groaned when he pulled, forcing them to part for a brief moment.

"Hah. You like to play rough." Ren chuckled, brushing his hands past the fabric of his jacket to dig his nails into his sides, receiving a groan in response, "Can't say I'm surprised."

When Ryo moved to kiss him again, he ended up knocking the lamp off the table with his forearm.

"Dumbass…" Ren sighed, propping his elbows against the table to hold his weight as Ryo stood, "Always breakin' things."

"Sorry." Ryo rose a brow at him, watching his lips curl into a smirk once again, "You're just as bad."

"Yeah, but I do it for a livin'."

"Right…"

Ren sighed, pausing for a long moment, trying to find words to say.

"You're leavin' tomorrow. You know you're gonna miss me."

"Is that so…?"

"You'll come back." He sat up, "You've got to."

"Ren…"

"Promise me, kid."

"What?"

"Promise you won't die. You better come back. Or I will find you. I swear I will track you down and–"

"I promise."

"You do?"

"Yeah."

Ren jumped down from the table, keeping his eyes glued to the floor, "Well. Lan Di ain't merciful. I mean I've seen you fight, kid." He looked up with a grin, "Let's hope you can get there without me."

"I think I'll manage." Ryo's brows furrowed, "Some how."

"You've got guts. But you're still weak with your street smarts."

"That's because I'm not a thug."

"Yeah, sure."

"I'm not."

"Keep tellin' yourself that."

They became silent again.

Ren sighed, deciding to force himself to move on, they could figure it out in the morning, it was much later than he anticipated staying up, "I'm goin' to bed."

"Oh. Good night, Ren."

"Yeah yeah."

– – –

When he woke up, Ryo was already preparing to leave. He kept silent, ghosting past him to pick up his bandana and gloves from the table. It seemed to be late afternoon, and Ryo had already replaced both his lamp and his recorder.

"So you're actually going huh…?" Ren's voice cracked, forcing him to clear his throat as he pulled his hair up into his usual tight pony tail.

"Of course." Ryo stood, tossing his bag over his shoulder.

"Were you gonna leave without saying good-bye?"

"…" Ryo averted his gaze.

"Not surprised." He chuckled dryly, silently sauntering over to him.

"Ren…"

Ren tilted his head, their eyes catching as Ryo looked up to him, "I suppose we're both confused, right?"

He simply nodded.

"Well uh." Ren cleared his throat, "Shit…"

"…you can still come with me, Ren."

"No. Ryo, I can't." His expression became stern, "Who knows, though. Maybe I will be forced to go out and find ya. Samurai in shining armor, I'll even ride in in a valiant steed!"

"Fine. Heads or tails."

"What?"

"Flip a coin. Tails, you come with me, heads, we part here."

"That's stupid Ryo. You don't wanna do this. Trust me."

"Why?" Ryo's grimaced.

Ren groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose, contemplating for a moment. He knew he couldn't go with him. He wanted to, but he just knew this was a journey Ryo would have to go on alone. With every last drop of willpower Ren had, he reached into his back pocket to retrieve his endgame result. He looked to the coin in his hand and gripped it as he looked up to Ryo, who was clearly hoping for the answer he'd never receive.

With the toss of the coin in the air,partially to their side, Ren rushed forward, embracing Ryo to share a bittersweet kiss, he reached out an caught the coin without removing his lips from his for a moment, lingering as long as he could before Ryo pulled away, desperate for the unchanged answer.

Ren opened his hand, revealing heads face up to their view, his expression stale. Ryo's eyes faltered, face returning to its melancholy state. Silently, he shifted his bag an turned away, heading to the door.

"Hey." Ren stopped him with a a single word, "keep your promise to me."

"…I will, Ren."

Ren's bitter smile was unseen as Ryo opened the door, passing Joy and Wong on the way.

"Is– is he leaving already?" Joy turned to Ren, who simply nodded.

"He can't leave without saying goodbye!" Wong cried out as Ryo had already ascended the stairs.

"Well, catch up with him then!" Ren smirked, grabbing Joy by the shoulder before she could rush after him.

"Hey!"

"Shut up. Give him these. Tell him they're from me."

Ren reached into his pocket again, pulling out another coin. A double headed coin and a double tailed coin made their way to Joy's hand, who only nodded and ran off.

He quickly returned to his hideout, taking a seat in the wooden chair, propping his legs up into the table.

"Guilin… Treasures of the Quin dynasty…" He let out a dry laugh, flicking his knife from his side, and flinging it at the map on the wall… directly marking Bailu Village itself, "This is getting interesting…"

Of course he didn't agree to go with Ryo.

He was used to showing up unannounced.


End file.
